How to Tip in Las Vegas Casinos & Hotels

Travel Tips

The drinks may be free in casinos, but the server’s services shouldn’t be. (Photo: bellagio image by anupio from Fotolia.com )

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Las Vegas hotels and casinos offer a ton of amenities and courtesies that warrant extra acknowledgment. While a heartfelt thank-you is nice, a little cash will go further, especially if you’ll be taking advantage of these extras for a few days. For on-site services, such as room service or a massage, the service and tip may be added to your room bill, but many others will require cold hard cash. For example, if you plan to use a valet, bell man, concierge, maitre d’, theater usher and cocktail servers, pack about $130 cash with you, $30 of it in singles. Then you’re covered in case a free drink or front-row seats beckon.

General Tipping Rules

Apply general rules and tipping etiquette for bellhops, valets, and shuttle and taxi drivers everywhere, including Las Vegas. Count the number of bags the bellhop will be bringing to your room. Tip him $2 per bag if you have six or more bags, or $1 per bag if you have five or less. Give the valet $5 once he retrieves your car. If you’re arriving at the casino by shuttle, tip the driver $2. Taxi drivers should receive 15 to 20 percent of your fare.

Table Hosts and Cocktail Girls

Tip the table host and cocktail girls at least 20 percent if you’re reserving a table or ordering bottle service at one of Vegas’ nightclubs. These men and women will provide much more one-on-one service than any standard server in a bar or restaurant, and you should reward them for this personalized, attentive service. Buffets, which are everywhere in Vegas, warrant a $1 tip for clearing your plates.

Tipping the Table Dealer

Tip your dealer at the tables if you’re winning. Though there’s no official rule on dealer tips, a dealer who produces winning hands for you deserves a little something for your enjoyment. Tip $5 for every $30 you’ve won from the hands she produces. If you hit a big win, such as a large bonus on the Pai Gow table, tip the dealer 5 to 10 percent. Some people also like to give the dealer $1 to $2 when they first sit down for good measure.

Tipping the Cocktail Server

Set aside $5 to $10 for the cocktail server taking care of you when you’re gambling. The drinks are free, and these servers rely on tips, so give them a portion of the money you would’ve spent on those drinks at a traditional bar. If the server is attentive and checks up on you regularly, give her $1 to $2 per drink. Give her more if you’re ordering top-shelf liquor or if you have a special request.

Tipping the Usher or Theater Attendant

Set aside $20 to $100 for the usher or theater attendant if you want upgraded seats. Though this is largely based upon availability, most ushers will be happy to find you the best seat in your section, or even the best seat currently available, for a price. High-end shows like Cirque du Soleil, Lance Burton and Bette Midler require larger tips, as the tickets are more expensive and good seats are in higher demand.

Tipping the Hotel Concierge

Tip the hotel concierge if he went above and beyond to secure hard-to-find show tickets or dinner reservations.

Items you will need

Wallet or purse

You do not need to tip maintenance or repairmen for fixing something broken or not working properly in your room, as this is the hotel’s error.

It is OK to tip your dealer or cocktail server with gaming chips.

As with most hotels, leave $2 to $5 per night for your housekeeper at the end of a stay of three nights or more. Leave the higher amount if she provided you with extra towels or if the room was left exceptionally disheveled.

Always check your restaurant or room-service bill before tipping. Some restaurants, and many hotels, will automatically add 18 percent gratuity to the final bill, particularly if your party was large.

Do not hand money to your dealer. She is not allowed to take anything from your hands. Instead, set the chips or cash on the table near her.

Casino Las Vegas Review

If you’re a South African online casino player looking for an exciting, safe and secure, and all-around good-time gaming room, then Casino Las Vegas should be at the top of your list. Our online casino experts at Cardschat.com have created a complete, in-depth 2018 Casino Las Vegas review. We haven’t randomly decided to focus on Casino Las Vegas. Before creating our 2018 Casino Las Vegas review we’ve surveyed the various online casinos available to South African players. One thing that we’ve found is that Casino Las Vegas is one of the best for players in ZA.

If you’re a real money South African player, you’ll be glad to know that this quality online casino does accept players from ZA. The fact is not every online gaming room will take players from South Africa. The great thing about Casino Las Vegas is that it truly is a quality gambling establishment. Featuring Playtech technology, the latest casino games, and wonderful bonuses and promotions, this is one of the best casinos at which you can play. The look and feel of this online casino captures the rich, lavish, and luxurious ambience of Vegas. The games, which include numerous progressive slots, are exceptional and the variety of games offered is extensive. Plus, banking is made easy as this online casino gladly transacts business using Rands.

Casino Las Vegas offers real cash players a large welcome bonus, which is worth up to R5000, free spins, and a generous VIP club. Of course, you can enjoy many of the games in free play mode, but we think you’ll want to give yourself every advantage to win cash by playing for real money. One great thing is the amount of cash with which you can play right from the start. Deposit R4000 and get an additional R5000 in your account. That’s a lot of betting power! Along with being able to play classic, video and progressive slots, you can enjoy various table and card games, video poker, arcade games, Live Dealer games, and more. Plus, Casino Las Vegas is always adding new games to their roster, which now includes more than 240 offerings.

Security and Fair Play

Casino Las Vegas, which has been offering online casino games for 20 years, has developed a stellar reputation in the industry for fairness, safety, and trustworthiness. Licensed by two quality jurisdictions, the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority and UK Gambling Commission, the casino is audited by the independent firm of GLI and is a member of eCOGRA. This online casino has made every effort to ensure that their games are fair and their website is secure and safe.

In terms of safety, Casino Las Vegas utilizes two advanced billing platforms, never passes on information to a third party, and uses industry standard technology such as 128 bit SSL data encryption. They are focused on making sure that every financial transaction, whether a deposit or withdrawal, is conducted in the safest manner possible. Casino Las Vegas closely monitors every transaction, using a step-by-step methodology for processing funds, and they are vigilant in detecting any type of fraud or fraudulent activity.

If you have any concern or issue regarding security, you may contact them at any time through email, live chat, or phone. Casino Las Vegas is completely devoted to making sure that their online casino is safe and secure for all players.

Casino Las Vegas is a Playtech casino, which means that its platform is one of the most advanced in the world. Considered to be a major industry leader, Playtech offers seamless and fast play, easy and quick navigation, and games that have defined and redefined the online casino industry. The software makes processing of funds easy while helping to ensure every player’s security and safety. If you’re a South African player, you’ll be glad to know that the Playtech software used by Casino Las Vegas is some of the best in the world.

In addition to providing a sound environment that supports the overall performance of the website and hundreds of games, Playtech gaming software offers players vivid displays and animations, rich and full sound, and innovative games that players find irresistible. Although most of us think of only slots when we hear the word «progressive jackpot,» Playtech does not limit its progressive machines to slots. South African players will find other jackpot games, including table games like roulette, card games like blackjack, and arcade games such darts. Plus, they offer a Live Dealer casino that allows for highly interactive play with stunning dealers located in a plush gaming environment.

Whatever mode of play you prefer, Casino Las Vegas has it. If you want the maximum number of games, then install the downloadable casino software quickly and easily. Doing so allows players to access everything that this top-notch, real money online casino has to offer. If you want to make things simpler and keep your computer’s hard drive uncluttered, you can enjoy a large number of games at their highly responsive instant play casino. If you prefer mobile or tablet play, Casino Las Vegas has just what desire, a completely portable casino featuring the most popular games in the world. You’ll be able to engage slots, including progressives, table and card games, such as roulette and blackjack, and video poker machines, such as Jacks or Better, through your Android, iOS device, Windows Phone, or Smartphone.

Casino Las Vegas Download Version – Access more than 240 games, the entire catalogue of offerings, when you download and install Casino Las Vegas onto your desktop or laptop computer. Installation takes less than two minutes. After you’ve set up your account, get ready to enjoy unprecedented graphics, video, and sound. Play in the download version of Casino Las Vegas is uninterrupted, fast, and flawless. This is the way that many PC users enjoy this online casino. However, if you’re a Mac user, you won’t be able to access the casino in this manner. Instead, you’ll set up your account and start playing using the HTML5 version of this popular casino.

Casino Las Vegas Instant Play Version — Mac and PC users can access this fine online gaming room through the instant play or HTML5 version. You won’t be able to play every game that’s available through the downloadable casino, but you will have the chance to enjoy a large majority of the casino games, including all types of slots, table and card games, and versions of video poker. Setting up the instant play casino is exceptionally fast and easy. Play is seamless and video, graphic, and sound quality is premium.

Casino Las Vegas Mobile Version – The mobile version of Casino Las Vegas will ensure that South African players just about always have an immediate and strong connection to this casino. Casino Las Vegas’ mobile gaming room offers a reduced number of games, but it has some of the most popular slots, including progressives, the top table and card games, and the most engaging video poker variants. You can connect with the mobile casino through your iPhone or iPad, Android or tablet, and just about any other Smartphone. In essence, with the mobile version you’ll have an entire casino in the palm of your hand. Play a few spins or hands when on break, enjoy gaming when away from your desk or home, and play at virtually anytime from anywhere. Using Casino Las Vegas’ mobile version, you’ll find that the games look, sound, and play without a hitch. Use an app or play via your device’s browser.

Welcome Bonus

Casino Las Vegas provides South African players with a competitive Welcome Bonus. If you live in ZA and sign up, you’ll receive a 125% bonus worth up to R5000. Deposit the top amount of R4000 to receive the best deal. In addition, you’ll get 50 free spins.

The play through on your bonus is 20 times the bonus plus the deposit. That means if you get the top bonus, R5000, you’ll have to wager a total of R180000 (R5000 bonus + R4000 deposit = R9000 x 20 = R180000) in order to clear any winnings associated with that bonus. The play through on the free spins is 20x any winnings. Thus, if you win R2000 on a free spin in order to withdraw your winnings, you’ll need to wager R40000.

One thing to consider is that with a Welcome Bonus, sometimes it’s a better idea to take less free money, as the play through amount will be reduced. As an example, if you deposit R500, you’ll get R625 in free money. That means in order to clear any winnings you’ll have to only wager R22500. Whatever you decide to do be aware that it will take a lot of effort reach the play through amount.

Casino Las Vegas has made it easy for players to deposit or withdraw money. Deposits that are made using an eWallet, credit or debit card or Rapid Transfer are credited instantly. The most popular deposit methods are Visa, MasterCard, ECO, Skrill, Neteller, and Paysafecard. Casino Las Vegas protects all of your financial transactions with the latest electronic technology, vigilant customer service personnel, and a thorough verification system.

Note, due to security measures and concerns, withdrawals from Casino Las Vegas include a standard pending time of 96 hours. After that, the average amount of time for a withdrawal to be complete is two days. Withdrawals are processed using the methods noted below.

Top 10 Casinos In Las Vegas

Astonishing buildings, mind-blowing views, lively crowds of people, fancy cars and thousands of shiny casinos, non-stop fun and excitement that can take your breath away. There is only one place in the world where you can see the Eiffel tower, the Colosseum, Taj Mahal and a desert at the same place; the only destination where you can go and see a bit of the whole world; the only place that can make you rich in the blink of an eye – Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps.

Las Vegas is a dream destination for many people in the world and it’s also a dream come true for many others, who have experienced the unforgettable and indescribable feeling of being there and becoming part of what Vegas really is. There is a huge number of casinos, where enthusiasts from all over the globe go to, wishing to get a lucky number and become rich, and others who go there simply to feel the spirit of this unique place.

There are so many amazing casinos which can catch your attention and make you want to get in and gamble, that it’s hard to choose which ones among all you should go to. Therefore, in this article we want to share our experience with you and make a list of the top ten casinos in Las Vegas that you simply must visit.

The Stratosphere Casino

The Stratosphere in Las Vegas is a casino, hotel and tower, all of which are combined to form an incredible set of buildings that you can see the whole city from. With its over three hundred and fifty metres, the tower is considered the largest free-standing one in the United States and the second one in the Western Hemisphere. The casino-hotel is a separate building which is the tallest structure in Las Vegas. It is situated on Las Vegas Boulevard, north from Las Vegas Strip. In 1990, an American entrepreneur and casino-owner, Bob Stupak, came up with the idea of building a giant ape that would serve to carry customers up and down the columns of the tower.

The original conception was to create the tallest free-standing building in the whole world by then with a hight of 553 metres. However, the plan was not accepted by the Federal Aviation Administration due to potential safety risks that might occur because of the nearby McCarran International Airport. In 1993, while the tower was still under construction, it caught fire. This led to necessary repairs that took some time and delayed a lot the whole process of building the tower.

In 1996, the construction was finally completed and put in use. There are two observation decks on the top of the tower, four speed rides and a restaurant. The 7 400-square-metre casino offers entertainment, such as slot machines, 50 different table games, over 1 500 video poker and slot machines, a sports book and a poker room.

Binion’s Gambling Hall & Hotel, formerly known as Binion’s Horseshoe, is one of the best casinos in Las Vegas. It is located on the Fremont Street Experience and is owned by TLC Casino Enterprises. Its name comes from its former owner, Benny Binion, whose family founded the casino-hotel in 1951. At first, the casino was in an old riverboat style, with velvet wallpaper and low ceilings. It was the very first carpeted casino and also the first one to offer comps to its customers.

The whole family was involved in the process of the casino’s proper functioning until Benny Binion was put in prison and sold his share of the casino to his fellow-gambler, Joe Brown. When Brown took over the whole casino, he installed a display on the floor, which became very famous for its price of one million. It was later recreated and it has been the casino’s attraction ever since. Visiting Binion’s is considered one of the must-do things when going to Las Vegas for the fact that it’s a classic casino where you can still sense the spirit of the old times. Binion’s is also the place where the World Series of Poker was born and held.

New York-New York

New York-New York is another great casino-hotel resort in Las Vegas that is worth seeing. It is located on Las Vegas Boulevard South and has a gaming space of over 7800 square metres. As its name implies, New York-New York is influenced a lot by the city of New York. The style of the building reminds of the old New York style and there are a few towers, which resemble the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.

There are more important New York signs there, such as a lake in front of the casino, which is a representation of New York Harbour, a 45-metre-tall replica of the Statue Of Liberty and also replicas of several other New York buildings, such as the Whitney Museum Of American Art and the Soldier and Sailors Monument.

Within the resort, there are many restaurants, gambling areas, lounges and shops, named after different neighbourhoods in New York City. The building process of New York-New York was completed at the cost of 460 million dollars and the casino opened in 1997. It is mainly famous for its roller coaster, formerly known as Manhattan Express, which resembles traditional New York checker taxi. It goes through the whole property and allows visitors to take a trip and see the interior and exterior of the resort.

The Mirage

The Mirage is one of the most impressive casino-hotels on the Las Vegas Strip. It is connected by a tram to Treasure Island, which is another casino-hotel. There is a marquee in front of the Mirage casino, which is considered the biggest free-standing marquee in the whole world. The casino was designed by Joel Bergman and built by Steve Wynn. It opened in 1989 and was the first casino resort to be built with money from Wall Street junk bonds. By that time, the Mirage was the most expensive casino with a total cost of about 630 million dollars. The construction contains a lot of gold, including the windows, whose golden colour is a result of the gold dust that is used in the tinting process.

The casino-hotel is considered the father and founder of today’s conception of Las Vegas. There are several attractions in the resort, such as a secret garden and dolphin habitat, an artificial volcano, rainforest flora at the entrance, a poolside nude area and a huge 16×2,4-metre aquarium at the reception. Many important boxing events have taken place in the resort, such as the match between Felix Trinidad and Freddie Pendleton.

Caesars Palace

Caesars Palace is another amazing casino-hotel that is in the top ten casinos in Las Vegas. It is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip and is owned by Caesars Entertainment Corporation. The casino has a total gaming space of about 15 500 square metres and offers a lot of facilities and entertainment. The building of Caesars Palace started in 1962, when a motel-owner, Jay Sarno, came up with a concept for an attractive resort in a Roman style.

The constructions process was completed in the summer of 1966 and the casino-hotel opened its doors for customers. The idea behind the casino was to create something that evokes the feeling of royalty with its Roman water fountains and landscapes.

The resort offers a wide range of fashionable stores and a huge sports book that is worth watching. Bringing a real Roman touch, there is a replica of the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The construction serves as an entertainment venue, which can host over 4 200 people, who want to attend concerts of different famous performers, such as Celine Dion, Cher, Elton John, Luis Miguel, Sheryl Crow, Gloria Estefan, Bette Midler and others. In 2009, President Barack Obama performed in a one-night show in the Colosseum, called ‘A Good Fight’.

Treasure Island

Treasure Island Hotel & Casino, also referred to as ‘TI’, is a casino-hotel, situated on the Las Vegas Strip. It is connected by free tram to The Mirage casino and also by a pedestrian bridge to the Fashion Show Mall, which is a big shopping centre. The hotel is one of the best ones in Las Vegas and it has received a Four Diamond rating every year since 1999. The building of Treasure Island was completed in 1993 at the cost of 450 million dollars.

At first, the idea was to build an additional tower to The Mirage. However, this plan developed to designing a whole separate casino-hotel resort. The original plan was to build the casino in a pirate style with a marquee with skulls and crossbones and a stage for pirate battles every night. However, in 2003 the theme of the casino and hotel was changed to a more adult-friendly environment, with a hot tub, a night bar and a different exterior colour, which changed from orange to dark maroon.

Treasure Island hosts the ‘Mystere’ show of Cirque du Soleil, which is considered the best show in Las Vegas. The pirate ‘Buccaneer Bay’ show was replaced with ‘Sirens’ Cove’ and ‘The Sirens of TI’ in 2003. The show programmes included dancing, singing, half-naked pirates and many audio-visual effects, all of which were meant to attract adult audience. However, the show was stopped in 2013 due to construction.

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is another entertainment resort which is worth visiting. Owned and operated by Brookfield Asset Management and Warner Gaming, LLC, the 6,8-hectare property is situated on Paradise Road in Las Vegas. Its total gaming space is 2 800 square metres but gaming earns the resort only about thirty per cent of its income. Hard Rock is in contemporary chick style and it offers many facilities and ways to keep visitors entertained, such as a nightclub, cocktail lounges, many shops, six restaurants, a Tahiti-style beach, a poker room, a music venue and many more.

The resort was planned and built by Peter Morton in 1995. It was expanded and renovated a few times through the years, as the last time was in 2010. In 2002, a famous rock musician, John Entwistle from ‘The Who’, died in one of the hotel rooms, which is no longer released for guests but only visited by fans, who want to pay tribute to Entwistle. Entertainment that the resort offers includes ‘Vanity’ club, ‘The Joint’, ‘Rehab’ and ‘Vinyl’. ‘The Joint’ is a rock club, where many popular musicians have performed, such as Guns N Roses, The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Oasis and others.

‘Vanity’ is a nightclub which has two bars and sixty VIP booths. The attraction of the club is a cyclone chandelier above the dance floor which sprawls. ‘Rehab’ is an event, which is considered the original pool party of Las Vegas. It takes place every Sunday, turning Hard Rock into an open daytime pool party. Many famous DJs play music there, such as Tiesto, Fedde Le Grand and many more.

Mandalay Bay

Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino is situated on the Las Vegas Strip and is owned by MGM Resorts International. The casino has a total space of 12 500 square metres and it’s styled in a South-East Asian theme. The resort was opened in the winter of 1996 as a Hawaiian-styled ‘Project Paradise’ resort. However, two years later the resort was renovated and its name was changed to ‘Mandalay Bay’, although there isn’t an actual bay in the capital of Burma – Mandalay.

In 2003, a Convention centre was added to the resort, which was announced the fifth largest one in the United States with its 93 thousand square metres. It includes a few ballrooms with a size up to 9 000 metres. The resort has a big shopping mall, called ‘Mandalay Place’, 24 restaurants, bars and lounges, an event centre, a shark reef aquarium and a 4,5-hectare Mandalay beach, which includes a wave pool, a small waterfall, three heated pools, a Lazy River water ride and a swimming pool for children.

The Shark Reef is a salt-water aquarium, which contains one of the biggest tanks in North America. Show programmes which take place at the resort permanently are ‘Chicago’, ‘The Lion King’, ‘Mamma Mia!’ and ‘Michael Jackson: One’.

The Palms Casino Resort is one of the most popular casinos is Las Vegas. It is located on Flamingo Road, near the Las Vegas Strip. The resort includes a 8 800-square metre casino, a Michelin-recognised restaurant, a recording studio and the Pearl concert theatre that can host up to 2 500 people. Made in a modern, neo-retro style, the resort is similar to Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, with which it competes. Developed by George Maloof in 2000, the resort project was completed in September 2001 and two months later opened its doors to a huge crowd of people.

The Palms has several nightclubs and lounges, some of which are situated in one of the three towers at the resort. The second tower is called ‘Fantasy Tower’ and includes a two-story suite which has a basketball court. Other suits in the tower are the King Pin suite, the Barbie suite and the G suite. The casino includes all of the classic and latest table games, stylish bars and plush lounges, where you can take a break from the lively gaming spirit.

Bellagio is the last on our list but not the least casino in Las Vegas that offers an incredible time. It is a luxurious casino located on the Las Vegas Strip. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International, the company that owns Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. Bellagio is famous for its elegance and style that is inspired by the lake town of Bellagio in Italy. The casino opened in 1998 and has a total gaming space of 10 800 square metres.

Bellagio offers many facilities and is well-known for its professional poker room. Many poker experts play there, referring to the casino as ‘The Office’. The reason why they choose Bellagio is its high table limits. The casino also hosts many tournaments of the World Poker Tour. It offers a range of gaming slots, table games, a race and a sports book.

The resort includes many attractions, such as the Fountain of Bellagio, which is a huge fountain with choreographed water that is set to performs to light and sounds. Bellagio also contains several restaurants and bars, a conservatory, botanical gardens and a gallery of fine art, which offers exhibitions of works of fine art.